In the 1920s and 1930s Americans thought of Hitler as a joke. His shrill voice and jerky hand movements made it difficult to take him seriously. But some of the first people to meet him didn’t feel the same way.

Junior military attaché Truman Smith said, “This is a marvelous demagogue who can really inspire loyalty.” Karl von Wiegand was the first American journalist to interview Hitler in 1922. He felt the same way as Smith. They were both struck by Hitler’s oratorical skills and his ability to drive people into a frenzy.

The Nazi Party finally emerged as a major contender for power after the great depression hit, but Americans still considered Hitler to be a clown. Most people believed that if Hitler gained power, German politicians would take control of him. Reassessments unfortunately came soon thereafter.

There are three documented instances where the Nazi party embarked on expeditions to Antarctica, but for unknown reasons. There is evidence that the defunct party had established bases there, and were testing flying saucer shaped air crafts. Many people believed that the Nazis were using reverse engineered alien technology to conduct their air experiments.

American correspondents in Berlin were living in relative luxury. The good correspondents and diplomats worked hard to gather information, although it was becoming progressively more difficult and dangerous to obtain.

Edgar Mowrer took huge risks to get information by meeting with a German-Jewish doctor. During regular doctor visits, the doctor would slip him notes when his assistant left the room. The notes contained information about who had been arrested, presumably journalists. The meetings became too risky, and the two moved their meetings to a public restroom where the doctor would drop the note and Mowrer would retrieve it undetected.

Not all correspondents and diplomats were so brave as to obtain dangerous information. Most felt constrained and didn’t wish to put themselves in jeopardy. The mainstream media was used against the people, and those brave enough to report the truth were subject to the ultimate consequence.